Elon Musk swats down reports James Murdoch is next in line to be Tesla chairman


On Wednesday, the Financial Times reported that James Murdoch, the outgoing chief executive of 21st Century Fox and son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, is the top candidate to replace Elon Musk as chairman of Tesla. Musk quickly tweeted a denial.
"This is incorrect," he said. In September, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reached a settlement with Musk and Tesla over a tweet Musk sent in August, claiming falsely he was going to take Tesla private. Regulators decided Musk can stay on as CEO but must give up his chairmanship, and Tesla must also appoint two new independent directors to its board.
Murdoch is on the boards of 21st Century Fox and News Corp., and he joined the Tesla board last year as an independent director. While he has experience in the media world, he has none in manufacturing. The Financial Times said Murdoch has let it be known he wants to become chairman, but Tesla is looking at other candidates. In June, Reuters reported that the CtW Investment Group recommended against re-electing Murdoch as a Tesla director because he has a "troubled history as an executive and director" and already sits on too many boards.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floods
Cartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?
The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate change
In the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off